16 Opposition Parties Withdraw from Osun Local Government Election

Sixteen opposition political parties in Osun State have announced their withdrawal from the upcoming local government election. The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission had earlier scheduled the next local government election for February 22, 2025.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Monday, the Osun State chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, Mr. Victor Akande, accused the OSSIEC chairman, Mr. Hashim Abioye, of deliberately withholding information about the election from the opposition parties.

Akande also alleged that Abioye planned to employ PDP members as electoral officers for the poll and had not disclosed information about the nomination fees for the contested posts.

He said, “We have reliable information that Abioye plans to use PDP members as Electoral Officers during the election, which we all know what it means. His intention is to trap us into conducting our parties’ primary elections without disclosing the amount each party will pay, which will, of course, lead to efforts in futility after announcing an exorbitant fee.

“We expected up-to-date information from Abioye as has been done by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but the reverse is the case as we always have information about Osun local government election from PDP e-rats. We found it convenient to say that the PDP-led administration in the state is intentionally creating avenues for crisis to scare our people away from the forthcoming council election, as only a secure mind will have the courage to go out to vote for his/her choice.

“It is on these notes that we resolved, after deliberations with our parties’ members, to BACK OUT of the forthcoming local government election in Osun state. Political parties involved in this include Action Alliance, African Democratic Congress, Accord Party, Social Democratic Party, African Action Congress, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Party and the Peoples Redemption Party.

“Others are the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Zenith Labour Party, Action Democratic Party, Action Peoples Party, Labour Party, Boot Party, National Rescue Movement and Young Peoples Party. We await the credibility of the poll involving only the Peoples Democratic Party.”

Reacting, Abioye dismissed the allegations, stating that he was still consulting stakeholders before deciding on the nomination fees.

“It is unfortunate. I have only announced our intention as part of the preparatory arrangement towards the conduct of the election. We are at the verge of appointing electoral officers and assistant electoral officers; we have not even drawn the list.

“We will consult with them, but not that any political party will nominate names for us to appoint as electoral officers and assistant electoral officers. So, I don’t know where the allegation is coming from. We are only in the process of appointing electoral officers and assistant electoral officers as part of the preparatory arrangement towards the conduct of local government elections.

“I have not mentioned any amount as nomination fees. We have to consult them (political parties) regarding the appointment of electoral officers. We will also consult them regarding fees for nomination forms. We have not arrived at any figure. So all these allegations are unfounded. I urge the media men to ask the IPAC chairman to mention at least two names of those already listed as electoral officers.”